DRAFT Torbay Heritage Strategy 2021-2026 Heritage skills learning aboard Vigilance with thanks to Friends of the Vigilance Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Part 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Vision ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Purposes .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Approach ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Policy context ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Torbay’s history in brief .......................................................................................................................... 6 Heritage assets and designations ........................................................................................................... 8 Vulnerabilities and opportunities ......................................................................................................... 10 Vulnerabilities ................................................................................................................................... 10 Opportunities .................................................................................................................................... 11 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Part 2 Heritage services and sector ................................................................................................................. 14 Our stories ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Geology ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Early humans ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Monastic and medieval ..................................................................................................................... 24 Agricultural life .................................................................................................................................. 27 Napoleon ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Trawling ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Golden Age of the resorts ................................................................................................................. 34 Agatha Christie and writers on the Riviera ....................................................................................... 39 Emerging stories ............................................................................................................................... 42 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 44 1 Foreword The Torbay Heritage Strategy is the result of a significant review of heritage in the Bay. The review was conducted over several months. It involved consultation with local residents, partner organisation, elected Council members, officers and services, and consideration of the changes in local and national plans and policies. It took place during the global Covid-19 pandemic and at a time of great change in the strategic funding context. Throughout the process we have been keen to ensure this strategy is rooted in the needs and aspirations of Torbay and its residents. Whilst the focus is on cultural heritage and the historic environment, the wider context has been important and shaped this work. Torbay has a fascinating history and rich heritage. The entire area is internationally recognised as the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, and our inshore coastline is a Marine Conservation Zone. Torbay is home to part of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) along with multiple Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Historic Parks and Gardens, historic sailing vessels and outstanding museum and archive collections. We also know there are many competing priorities for limited resources. Part of this process was to consider how to prioritise heritage, including assets on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. The heritage review was conducted by lead consultant Katherine Findlay at Heritage Arts & People, on behalf of Torbay Council, with advice and support from Council officers, TDA and Torbay Culture. Our thanks go to Katherine for her excellent work on the review and report; and to all the people who responded to questions, attended consultations, and shared their thoughts during the process. This strategy sits alongside the wider cultural strategy ‘Enjoy, Talk, Do, Be’ – a cultural strategy for Torbay and its communities 2014-24. It is aligned with the Torbay Local Plan and will inform its upcoming review, the English Riviera Destination Management Plan, the Torbay Economic Strategy, and the UNESCO Global Geopark validation. Heritage is not only about looking to the past, preserving and conserving. It is about the people and the places of today. Progress, enterprise and economic development need not happen at the expense of cultural heritage or the historic environment and in the same way we should not see our heritage as a barrier to change. Singapore - often cited by world leaders as an example of economic progress - has recognised this. Lee Kuan Yew, founding Prime Minister of Singapore, said about his nation’s heritage plan in 2005: ‘Heritage is not something static, lying hidden to be discovered, admired and conserved. It is a part of the lives of people, and it shapes the ways a people meet new challenges and helps them adapt to survive’ We hope this new strategy provides a pathway for Torbay’s fascinating and significant heritage. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in profound challenges for all of us, including the heritage and culture sectors. But we know that holding true to a good vision can improve the quality of life for people in the Bay. Heritage has a major role to play in that. Signatories Leader of the Council/Deputy Leader/Council officer/Torbay Culture 2 Part 1 Introduction Vision People in Torbay can actively engage with and contribute to our built, natural and cultural heritage at all stages of life. Heritage assets are integrated into services for all, providing opportunities for learning, creativity, enjoyment and volunteering. Heritage sites are protected and enhanced to make the most of their historic, environmental and cultural value. Locally and nationally, Torbay is perceived as a heritage destination with a rich and unique history. Heritage attractions are thriving within well-maintained historic townscapes and landscapes. Historic buildings are reused in sustainable and imaginative ways and new developments find inspiration in a distinctive past. Purposes The Torbay Heritage Strategy enables our vision to be realised by setting out a clear and focussed agenda for elected Council members and officers at Torbay Council, TDA and Torbay Culture to follow until 2026. It is also a tool to involve and inspire developers, building owners, heritage organisations and voluntary groups. There is enormous interest in local heritage among Torbay residents and this strategy encourages opportunities for all our communities to understand, enjoy and share our history. It provides protection for the historic environment and highlights our museum and archive collections. It encourages new development that respects and finds inspiration in the distinct characters of our towns and countryside. Attracting new and younger visitors and lengthening the tourist season are fundamentally important to Torbay’s future economy. This strategy puts heritage at the centre of our visitor offer for the first time. Torbay Council and TDA own and manage a range of historic sites and we support the wider heritage sector across the Bay. This strategy aims to strengthen the sector and explains our priorities for key locations. The climate emergency affects every area of our work so this strategy considers both the risks to historic assets and how we can decarbonise the way we work at and visit heritage sites. All of Torbay’s human stories have their roots in the land and the sea. The international significance of our geology and the culture associated with it is recognised in the English Riviera’s designation as a UNESCO Global Geopark. This strategy supports the Global Geopark as an overarching framework within which the social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits of conserving our heritage are fully utilised to build a thriving future.